pomodoro technique is a time management method that is often talked about by people. It was founded by Francisco Cirillo in 1992. Perhaps many people know that this method is used to manage time through the tomato clock. Generally, the tomato clock takes 25 minutes as a cycle. Completing a tomato clock does not mean the level of work efficiency, nor does it mean that you can complete a task in these 25 minutes, but it means that you concentrate on working hard for 25 minutes continuously.
Of course, pomodoro technique is not just about setting a 25-minute tomato clock, it also includes many other elements and details. Simply put, pomodoro technique needs to make a list of things to do that day, set a 25-minute alarm clock, and then start from the first thing. In addition, there are also daily reviews, daily commitments, interruption control, and estimated efforts.
It seems that this method is quite complicated, with so many steps, but the learning of any skill is quite complicated. Like skiing, when you start to learn, you will definitely learn the methods and skills of each step, but you can only learn one at a time. Only when you are proficient in each step can you forget these skills and complete a series of smooth movements. When you start studying, you must never want to eat into a fat man in one bite, but follow the rules step by step and find out your feelings slowly. This time is not far from "getting started".
First, only do one thing at a time
"You can't dance twice with one foot", in other words, you can only do one thing at a time. And the "busy schedule" that we praise is by no means a matter of grasping the eyebrows and beards, but finishing one job after another in an orderly way. Secondly, there is an opportunity cost in doing anything, so we often need to screen out the most important things to do first. The method given by the author in the article is: analyze the real problem, that is, "what result do I want to achieve", and then focus on the activities that can bring the result. At the same time, after completing a tomato clock, is it still the most important thing to rethink the activities you just focused on? Second, the five stages of pomodoro technique
1. Plan: Extract the most important activities from the "list of activities" and fill them in the "to-do list today", which is the self-commitment of the day.
2. Tracking: Turn on the tomato clock for 25 minutes after confirming the activities of the day. Pay attention to collecting process indicators, such as the number of interruptions, in each tomato clock period.
3. record: at the end of the day, file the data collected on that day and write it into the "record" table.
4. processing: extracting useful information from the collected raw data. For example, for every 25-minute period, how many interruptions are encountered on average.
5. visualization: organize the information in a certain way, and find out the ideas to improve the process.
The five stages of pomodoro technique are time management methods designed based on the typical Deming cycle process.
what is Deming cycle? Deming cycle, also known as quality management cycle or PDCA cycle, was founded by American statisticians William Edwards Deming and Andrew Walter shewhart. It is a periodic process to solve problems and can be used to improve other processes. Based on the scientific method of "hypothesis-experiment-evaluation", the four steps of Deming cycle are as follows:
1. Plan: define the expected result and the process needed to achieve it;
2. Do: implement the process;
3. Check: measure the process, compare the actual results with the expected results, and find out the gaps;
4. application (Act): analyze the gap and find out the root of the problem in order to improve.
Third, the required tools:
1. Tomato clock, now many softwares have this function, and there are also APP； based on tomato time management;
2. Three sheets of paper:
"Today's To Do" form: fill in the date, name and list the activities conducted today; Pick out the most important work every day and start; Pay attention to the right amount of activities to be arranged today, which is a promise within the time limit.
"activity list" form: fill in the name, list the recent activities, and fill in as you like. This activity list can be used for many days, adding new activities and crossing out the completed ones. Note: Do not change the specific practice, only write the status after the completion of the activity; Classify activities into themes; You can mark the deadline.
"Record List" table: records the sampled process indicators so as to improve the process. The same "Record" form can be used for many days, so as to compare the daily tracking records.
Fourth, the details of the method
1. Mark the current list, that is, what you are doing at the moment, which is convenient for concentration; You can mark it with a highlighter, or write the current activity on a note and put it in front of your eyes;
2. After each tomato clock is finished, take a rest for 3 to 5 minutes, away from intellectual activities, including thinking about the activities of the last or next tomato clock, and you can drink water or do shoulder and neck exercises; Decide whether to switch the current activity after the break.
3. After 4 or 5 tomato clocks, take a rest in stages for about 15-3 minutes; You can clean your desk, or brush off Weibo's circle of friends.
4. Stop working immediately after the tomato bell rings, and at most make a shorthand note to mark the idea; Proper rest is respect for this method, which is conducive to achieving high efficiency for a long time.
5. cross off every activity from today's to-do list; Don't switch activities and don't have a rest while the tomato clock is going on.
6. Record the date in the first line and the tomato clock in the second line.
7. In the processing stage, the average number of tomato hours spent in each activity can be calculated. If the number is large, try to split it; You can calculate the time that an activity stays in the "activity list", that is, the time from the time when the activity is recorded to the time when it is processed.
5. how to prevent the tomato clock from being interrupted?
Every interference will cause the original information on our brain workbench to be lost, and when attention is lost, it will be expensive to retrieve it.
1. when you encounter an internal interruption, accept it, draw a sketch before the current activity to indicate an internal interruption, record it in the unplanned emergency area, and then continue the work at hand. Or record it in the "activity list", and add a U to its left to indicate unplanned events and mark a deadline.
2. When some internal interruptions cannot be stopped, the current tomato clock will be invalid, because the tomato clock is atomic and inseparable. At this time, we can only turn on the new tomato clock.
3. If there are many internal interruptions, try to shorten the duration of the tomato clock, and then slowly extend it to find a tomato clock that suits you. Tomato clocks with different time lengths are not comparable.
4. In case of external interruption, draw a minus sign before the "Today to Do" activity, and write down the name of the activity in the activity list or unplanned emergency area.
5. Every time a tomato clock is completed, draw a difference number. There may be several difference numbers behind some activities, indicating that it takes several tomato clocks to complete the activity.
VI. How to accurately estimate the tomato hours required for each activity?
1. estimate the tomato hours of each activity in the activity list, and write the estimated number in front of the activity;
2. The number of tomato hours can't be decimal. If it is too large, it will be divided into several activities. The larger the activity, the more difficult it is to predict. If an activity is estimated to be less than one tomato clock, you can mark next to it and combine the activities marked into one activity.
3. The estimated total number of tomato clocks should not exceed the total number of tomato clocks you set on that day; And according to the estimated tomato clock number of each activity, draw a considerable number of small squares on the right side, and put a cross in the squares after completing the tomato clock. If the first estimate fails, draw a corresponding number of circles when making the second estimate; If you fail for the second time, make a third estimate and finally make a triangle.
4. Record the estimate in the table: add a column of recorded error estimates, overestimate two tomato clocks +2, underestimate one tomato clock -1, and add up the figures to indicate the overall estimate error. Add a second column to record the number of re-estimates, that is, how many circles and triangles there are.
VII. How to adjust the strain of tomato clock?
1. For fixed routine work, you can customize a tomato clock with other duration; For example, if you get up early for 4 minutes to study, you can set the tomato clock duration separately.
2. The length of the tomato clock can also be adjusted to find its best rhythm. But when you start using the tomato method, it's best to use 25 minutes for two weeks.
3. The length of rest time can also be adjusted; If you rest too long, you will lose your rhythm, and if you don't rest, the quality of your work will decline. In general, there will be a long rest every three short breaks.
4. Make the "activity list" into an "index card", and record each activity on the card, including the activity title, sketch, network address, telephone number and other information related to the activity. When making a plan, pick out the activity cards in priority order as the "Today's To Do" list.
5. change "activity list" to "progress list", and write down the date of this month from right to left in the upper left corner of the progress list, and write down the activities in the left blank. Every time you choose an activity to fill in the "Today's To Do" table, draw a circle in the "Progress Table", which is located in the column of today's date and the row of the selected activity. When the activity is completed, draw a star in the circle. If there are more empty circles, it means that you always overestimate the promises you can deliver.
6. Use the priority order of "Priority Elimination" activities.
7. The principle of clearing inbox. For example, delete useless e-mails to avoid being overwhelmed by new and important ones.
8. Make a "mind map diary": the contents include: today's theme, activities with the most crosses, activity keywords, new tools and methods discovered, etc., and make a summary of each day.
Throughout the book, we can see that the core of pomodoro technique is still PDCA process, planning (activity list, to be done today)-execution (tomato clock)-evaluation (recording, processing, daily review)-application (feedback iteration), and finally find a suitable time management method.